Expansion stalled for North Vancouver cheer gym

By HAZEL LOVE

A North Vancouver gym owner who needs more space for her growing cheerleading programs has not had much to cheer about when it comes to city zoning bylaws.

Absolute Gym, which offers recreational tumbling and competitive cheerleading, has seen its popularity soar. With 600 students, the current space is often at capacity.

According to owner Sonja Aquila, a vacant unit next door, which has sat empty for over a year, seemed like the perfect opportunity for expansion. However, bylaws state that Absolute Gym has reached the maximum capacity for recreational fitness within an industrial space.

Growing demand for recreational youth sports on the North Shore

Aquila said North Vancouver needs more space for recreational youth sports. “I’m limited to having 20 participants in my unit every day. I break that rule by over 100 people every single day, and I’m willing to take the fine for it because there’s nothing else,” she said.

Aquila, who has run cheerleading programs on the North Shore for 19 years, said she initially moved into the space eight years ago, seeing the potential for growth in a larger building. However, as the city’s population has grown, so has the demand for her programs, which now have lengthy waitlists.

Absolute Gym runs more than 60 weekly classes, with waitlists for each program often six to eight students deep.

“We can’t accommodate everyone, and now parents are getting frustrated because they don’t have anywhere else to go,” she said.

She is no closer to a solution despite contacting city councillors and planning officials. “I called Coun. [Jessica] McIlroy last summer, and she said, ‘There’s not much I can do.’ They always tell me to defer to working with the city,” Aquila said.

Aquila remains hopeful that upcoming updates to the community plan could benefit her. “They’re increasing the population on that street alone by almost 6,000 people. They have to allow more [recreational space],” she said.

In the meantime, Aquila has applied for a temporary use permit to use the space for two years. She hopes the old zoning laws will change when the community plan is updated. However, city planning staff said they would likely deny her application because they don’t believe she intends to vacate after two years.

Young athletes feel the squeeze

For athletes like 15-year-old Sienna Kadi, limited space is affecting training. Kadi, who has been attending Absolute Gym for three years, said the gym is often overcrowded, making it difficult to get the space she needs.

“Sometimes it’s hard to use the full floor when I’m trying to tumble,” Kadi said. “There are so many people at the open gym, and it’s hard to get enough space for yourself.”

Kadi, who has formed close friendships at the gym, said it’s benefited her life and would like to see more people join.

“It’s about having fun and maintaining good activity levels,” she said. “If we had more space, more people could join.”

City officials cite industrial land protections

Coun. Tony Valente said that it’s complex from the city’s perspective. He said he sympathizes with Aquila’s frustration but pointed out the challenges of industrial zoning regulations.

“We have a shortage of industrial land, and it’s extremely difficult because we’ve sworn to protect it,” Valente said. He said that making one exception could set a precedent for converting more industrial land into residential use.

“It’s tragic because here you have a growing North Vancouver business that wants to expand, and we’re the block,” he said.

City communications staff confirmed that Aquila’s temporary permit application is active and scheduled to be presented to the city council in April. However, due to the application’s ongoing nature, they declined to comment on specifics.

Gym owner calls for flexibility in city planning

Aquila believes the city needs to be more flexible. “It seems silly that they can’t just say, ‘Maybe we need to make an exception right now because our community plan timeline isn’t aligning with the community’s needs,'” she said. “Giving us extra space for fitness isn’t going to hurt anybody.”

Aquila said she sees the issue as common sense clashing with red tape.

“To me, this seems like such a simple solution being bogged down by outdated bureaucracy,” Aquila said.